The present invention relates to the technical field of an image recording apparatus for supplying an elongated roll-shape light-sensitive material as cut sheets having been cut to a specified length, digitally exposing the cut sheets of the light-sensitive material for a specified image acquired as digital image data and delivering the exposed light-sensitive material to the next developing apparatus.
Most of the images took on photographic films such as negatives, reversals and the like (which are hereinafter referred as "films") are conventionally printed (exposed) onto light-sensitive materials such as photographic papers by "direct (analog) exposure" in which the image of a film is projected onto the light-sensitive material for a real exposure. Whereas, at present, digital photoprinters have been commercialized. In the digital photoprinters, the image information recorded on, for example, a film is photoelectrically read and converted into digital signals, which are subjected to various kinds of image processing (data processing) to produce recording image data; a light-sensitive material is exposed by scanning with recording light modulated in accordance with the image data; and an image (latent image) is formed on the light-sensitive material and developed and then the light-sensitive material is output as a finished print (photograph).
In the digital photoprinters, the image information on the film is photoelectrically read and gradation correction and other adjustments, are performed by subsequent image processing to determine exposing conditions. Hence, the digital photoprinters have many capabilities in various kinds of image processing such as editing of printed images by, for example, combining a plurality of images or splitting a single image into plural images, as well as color and density adjustment and edge enhancement; as a result, prints can be output as needed by specific uses. In addition, the image data on a printed image can be supplied to a computer and the like and stored in a recording medium such a floppy disk or the like.
A further advantage of the digital photoprinters is that it can output prints of higher image quality in such aspects as resolution, color and density reproduction as compared to the prints produced by the conventional method of direct exposure.
Such digital photoprinters are essentially composed of an input machine, an output machine and a controller wherein the input machine includes an image reading apparatus (scanner) for reading image data recorded on a film, a data processing apparatus for subjecting the image data read by the image reading device to various kinds of image processing (data processing) and the like; the output machine includes an image recording apparatus (printer) comprising a light-sensitive material supply section, a transport mechanism for transporting the light-sensitive material supplied from the light-sensitive material supply section, an image recording section for digitally exposing the light-sensitive material in accordance with the image data having been subjected to the image processing and the like, and a developing apparatus (processor) for developing the exposed light-sensitive material; and the controller controls and manages the digital photoprinter as a whole.
First, in the input machine, when the image data recorded on, for example, the film is read by the image reading device, the reading light issuing from an illuminant is allowed to be incident on the film; projected light that carries the image took and recorded on the film is focused on an image sensor such a CCD sensor or the like through an imaging lens; the image sensor performs photoelectric conversion to read the image, which is supplied to the data processing apparatus as input image data corresponding to the image recorded on the film after it is subjected to various kinds of image processing when necessary.
Subsequently, the data processing apparatus subjects the image data which was input from the image reading apparatus and converted to digital data or the image data which was previously converted to digital data before being input to various kinds of data processing steps according to image processing conditions previously set, or various kinds of image processing conditions which are changed in accordance with the indication from an operator or the image data, and determines exposing conditions suitable for the image data. The image data is transported to the image recording apparatus of the output machine as output image data.
In the output machine, if the image recording apparatus is of a type that relies upon exposure by scanning with an optical beam, the light beam is modulated in accordance with the image data transferred from the data processing section and deflected in a main scanning direction; at the same time, the light-sensitive material is transported in an auxiliary scanning direction which is approximately perpendicular to the main scanning direction, whereby the light-sensitive material is two-dimensionally scanned and exposed so that a latent image is recorded on the light-sensitive material in the image recording section. The light-sensitive material on which the latent image is recorded is subjected to development processing in accordance with the light-sensitive material in the developing apparatus, thereby forming a visible image; the light-sensitive material is then washed and dried to be output as a finished print (photograph).
In the digital photoprinters making use of the digital exposure, the correction of gradation and the correction of color and density are carried out by the image processing before the exposing conditions are determined. Therefore, a time necessary to expose one image is shortened and an exposing time is constant in accordance with an image size. Accordingly, the digital photoprinters can perform exposure more promptly as compared with the conventional direct (analog) exposure. Further, the digital photoprinters can perform freely editing of printed images by combining a plurality of image or splitting a single image into plural images, and image processing such as the color and density adjustment and edge enhancement. Therefore, the digital photoprinters can output finished prints which were freely edited and image-processed depending on their use.
Moreover, since the image data of a finished print can be stored in a recording medium composed of a magneto/optic disk such as a floppy disk and the like, when the image data is stored in the recording medium, it is not necessary, for example, to read a film again or determine exposure conditions again in a job for producing extra prints, whereby the job can be very promptly and easily carried out. In addition, the digital photoprinters making use of the digital exposure is advantageous in such aspects as resolution, color and density reproduction and the like, because a print on which recorded image information is approximately completely reproduced can be output in the digital exposure, whereas it is difficult in a print made by conventional direct exposure.
Although the digital photoprinters have many advantages as described above, the price is inevitably expensive. Therefore, the digital photoprinters are still not competitive in cost performance over the conventional analog photoprinters which employ direct (analog) exposure in which the image of a film is directly projected onto a light-sensitive material for a real exposure.
When ordinary photographs are printed, many photographic papers of the same size such as an L-size are only exposed in many cases. On the other hand, photoprinters expose the same photograph to many photographic papers of the same size such as postcards with the photograph. However, the analog photoprinters have a problem that it must expose and print photographic papers one by one because only one original film such as a negative film is available. It is difficult to improve productivity in the analog photoprinters. Thus, there has been desired a digital photoprinter that has an excellent efficiency.
In particular, since many photographic papers must be exposed and printed for a short period of time in the case of postcards, there has been desired a more effective digital photoprinter.
In addition, it has been desired to shorten the processing time to improve productivity not only when photographic papers having the same image or the same size are exposed and printed but also when photographic papers of a different size are exposed and printed.